burdensome

adjective

bur·​den·​some ˈbər-dᵊn-səm 

: imposing or constituting a burden : oppressive

burdensome restrictions

Synonyms

• bitter
• brutal
• cruel
• excruciating
• grievous
• grim
• hard
• hardhanded
• harsh
• heavy
• inhuman
• murderous
• onerous
• oppressive
• rough
• rugged
• searing
• severe
• stiff
• tough
• trying

Choose the Right Synonym for burdensome

onerous, burdensome, oppressive, exacting mean imposing hardship.

onerous stresses being laborious and heavy especially because distasteful.

the onerous task of cleaning up the mess

burdensome suggests causing mental as well as physical strain.

burdensome responsibilities

oppressive implies extreme harshness or severity in what is imposed.

the oppressive tyranny of a police state

exacting implies rigor or sternness rather than tyranny or injustice in the demands made or in the one demanding.

an exacting employer

Examples of burdensome in a Sentence

The responsibility has become burdensome.

the burdensome living conditions that the early settlers had to endure

Recent Examples on the Web

Beyond the carnage of the war itself, Israel has put in place numerous burdensome procedures for aid to reach Gaza, reducing them only slowly in the face of international criticism. —Daniel Byman, Foreign Affairs, 5 Apr. 2024

But in Indiana, state policymakers hastily passed a law earlier this year to roll back wetlands regulations, at the urging of developers and farm groups who said such rules were overly burdensome. —Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 1 Apr. 2024

Maintenance for soil erosion by retention ponds in the Cady Lake and Stone Creek neighborhoods is also burdensome for neighbors because of flooding on Flat Branch Creek, Black said. —Chase Jordan, Charlotte Observer, 1 Apr. 2024

With sky-high home prices and burdensome mortgage rates weighing on buyers, the housing market is locked in a deep freeze. —Irina Ivanova, Fortune, 8 Mar. 2024

Connecticut has long been a high-income per capita state and also imposes one of the country’s most burdensome tax systems. —Bryce Chinault, National Review, 13 Feb. 2024

Next year, Congress must decide whether to extend many of the TCJA’s provisions, which were designed to expire to make the tax cut’s cost appear less burdensome. —Kathryn Anne Edwards, The Mercury News, 8 Mar. 2024

Still-high loan rates mean that monthly payments remain burdensome for many at a time when buyers are seeking affordable options. —Tom Krisher, Quartz, 28 Feb. 2024

Many of them are career federal workers reluctant to hand over power to Mitch McConnell and the party that sees them as burdensome to the nation. —Baltimore Sun Editorial Board, Baltimore Sun, 12 Feb. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1578, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

burdensome

adjective

bur·​den·​some ˈbərd-ᵊn-səm 

: so heavy or hard to take as to be a burden

burdensomeness noun